Chapter 35: The Eve of Moving
"Alright, alright, let's all wish Su Tao well. And today is the last time we'll get together. Let's have some wine and meat, and have some fun together." One of the male educated youth broke the silence, then turned to Su Tao and pleaded, "Su Zhiqing, we've bought some meat today. Could you please help us get some?"
His words resonated deeply with everyone. The same meat, prepared by different people, could taste so different. They'd bought meat and cooked it themselves a few times before, but it had never been as good as Su Tao's. Everyone was still thinking of Su Tao's cooking skills, and the thought of delicious food dispelled the sadness of parting.
"No problem." Su Tao's cheerful voice sounded, and everyone cheered again.
Su Tao looked at the pork belly everyone bought. It was well-proportioned with fat and lean meat, and was especially suitable for making braised pork.
First, Su Tao places the pork belly in a pot of cold water, adds cooking wine, scallions, ginger, and garlic, and brings to a boil over high heat. Remove the pork belly, cut it into small pieces, and slowly fry it in a pan of oil over medium-low heat until both sides are golden brown. In another pot, add rock sugar and, over low heat, melt it until it turns amber. Then, add the stir-fried pork and stir-fry quickly and evenly. Add scallions, ginger slices, bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon, and other spices. Add the soy sauce and stir well. Finally, add boiling water, simmer over low heat for half an hour, then increase the heat to reduce the sauce. The dish is done.
The red and shiny braised pork has bright color and fragrant aroma, and everyone can't help but want to try it.
Seeing everyone's greedy eyes, Su Tao smiled and said, "Wait a moment, I'll stir-fry a few more side dishes and we can start eating."
Then Su Tao took out the braised pork she had made herself. The braised pork was paid for by everyone, and she didn't want to take advantage of others by eating with them. Su Tao planned to slice the braised pork and stir-fry some garlic shoots, and then stir-fry some green vegetables to make a smashed cucumber.
After a while, Su Tao prepared all the dishes and put them on the table. There were four dishes in total. Although there were not many varieties, the portions were still large enough for everyone to have a full meal.
The staple food is still the porridge and sweet potatoes that everyone usually eats. Su Tao also ate with everyone this time. He ate it occasionally as a whole grain, and the taste was still okay.
As soon as the meal started, everyone rushed to grab the tempting braised pork, "Hmm~ It's so delicious." Everyone had an intoxicated expression on their face.
The braised pork melts in your mouth, it is fatty but not greasy, the meat is salty and fragrant with a hint of sweetness, the aftertaste is so good that it lingers on your lips and teeth.
The braised pork was served with rice, and the bottom of the pot had to be scraped. The rice in the male educated youth's bowl was empty in no time, so he quickly added another bowl, fearing that the meat would be gone if he was too slow.
"Taotao, this braised pork with fried garlic shoots is delicious, and this smashed cucumber has a crisp texture, sweet and sour, so delicious!" Hu Xiao praised with his mouth full like a frog.
"It's delicious, just eat more." Su Tao looked at Hu Xiao with amusement.
"But I won't be able to eat it anymore..." Hu Xiao felt a little lonely when he thought about parting with Su Tao.
"If you want to eat, you can come to Hechuan's house to find me. It's not far." Su Tao looked at Hu Xiao's pitiful appearance and comforted him.
"Really? I can find you later. That's great." Hu Xiao cheered up instantly, and the loneliness just now disappeared.
Everyone looked at Hu Xiao with envy. If they had known earlier that they had built a better relationship with Su Tao, wouldn't they have been able to find Su Tao to eat delicious food?
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